Police said they stopped a car near Smithfield and Seventh streets Thursday night. A passenger in the car ran from the vehicle. An officer chased and caught him. Police said Roger Cunningham, 52, resisted and wrestled with the officer. Cunningham had heroin on him, police said, and he was eventually taken into custody.

While at the police station Cunningham complained of a back injury. Police called for medics, who took him to UPMC Mercy Hospital with an officer accompanying him.

While at the hospital, police said he threatened suicide. Because of that, the hospital said they may keep him overnight and said they would monitor him using hospital security.

"And as a result of that our officers left him and hospital security was monitoring him and during one of the examinations that was going on he jumped up and ran and he was able to leave the hospital," said Jim Ritchie, Port Authority spokesperson.

A UPMC official then issued a statement denying responsibility in the matter:

"UPMC has neither the jurisdiction, responsibility nor capability to detain patients on behalf of law enforcement agencies," wrote Susan Manko, UPMC director of media relations. "Prisoners in custody of the arresting law enforcement agencies remain their responsibility for the duration of the arrest process and at no time can that responsibility be transferred to UPMC."

Neither hospital staff nor anyone at the hospital was threatened or injured.

Cunningham is described as white, about 5 feet 11 inches tall and 270 pounds. A picture tweeted by police shows him with gray hair and a beard. Anyone who sees him is asked to call 412-255-1385.

Duquesne University, located next to the hospital, issued a text alert to students about the active search. Multiple police units were in the area and set up a perimeter near the school Thursday night.

Cunningham served the minimum sentence of 10 years in a state prison for a burglary committed in Butler County and was released on parole Aug. 16, 2012, said Susan Bensinger, deputy press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. He is scheduled to remain on parole until 2022, according to Sherry Tate, a spokeswoman for the state Board of Probation and Parole.

The DOC said Cunningham has several arrests and convictions going back to the 1970s. He was paroled in 1981, then returned to prison in 1988 and served time until 1994, only to return the same year and serve until 2012.

Tate said that when Cunningham went back to prison after his 1994 release, it was for charges including burglary and terroristic threats. She said there have been no board decisions that show Cunningham had any parole violations that led to him to go back to prison since his 2012 release.

SHE'S AWAITING HER PRELIMINARY HEARING. IN DORMONT, MARCIE CIPRIANI, PITTSBURGH'S "ACTION NEWS 4." HE HAS DONE IT AGAIN. A MAN WITH A LONG CRIMINAL HISTORY WHO'S SLIPPED AWAY FROM AUTHORITIES BEFORE ESCAPES FROM PORT AUTHORITY POLICE OVERNIGHT. "ACTION NEWS 4" REPORTER MATT BELANGER HAS MORE ON HOW HIS ESCAPE FROM A HOSPITAL LED TO AN ALL-NIGHT SEARCH. Reporter: PORT AUTHORITY POLICE SAY SECURITY GUARDS AT UPMC MERCY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE KEEPING AN EYE ON 52-YEAR-OLD ROGER CUNNINGHAM, BUT THE HOSPITAL SAYS IT'S NOT UP TO THEM TO MAKE SURE THOSE UNDER ARREST REMAIN IN CUSTODY. MEANWHILE, CUNNINGHAM REMAINS ON THE LOOSE. ACTION NEWS REPORTS CUNNINGHAM HAS A LONG HISTORY INCLUDING VIOLATING PAROLE IN 1994. PORT AUTHORITY POLICE SAY LAST NIGHT CUNNINGHAM RAN FROM THE SCENE OF A TRAFFIC STOP DOWNTOWN AND THEN THREATENED THE OFFICERS WHO TOOK HIM INTO CUSTODY WITH PAIR OF SCISSORS. OFFICERS ALSO FOUND HE HAD HEROIN ON HIM, BUT CUNNINGHAM LATER COMPLAINED OF BACK PAIN, AND OFFICERS TOOK HIM TO UPMC MERCY. THE HOSPITAL INDICATED THEY MIGHT WANT TO KEEP HIM OVERNIGHT, AND AS A RESULT OF THAT, OUR OFFICERS LEFT HIM. HOSPITAL SECURITY WAS MONITORING HIM. AND DURING ONE OF THE EXAMINATIONS OR TESTS THAT WAS GOING ON UP THERE, HE DECIDED TO JUMP UP AND RUN, AND HE WAS ABLE TO LEAVE THE HOSPITAL. Reporter: THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM FIRED BACK WITH THIS STATEMENT -- "UPMC HAS NEITHER THE JURISDICTION, RESPONSIBILITY, NOR CAPABILITY TO DETAIN PATIENTS ON BEHALF OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. PRISONERS IN CUSTODY OF THE ARRESTING LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES REMAIN THEIR RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DURATION OF THE ARREST PROCESS, AND AT NO TIME CAN THAT RESPONSIBILITY BE TRANSFERRED TO UPMC." NEARBY, DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY WAS PUT ON ALERT BECAUSE OF THE POSSIBILITY A VIOLENT OFFENDER WAS ON THE LOOSE IN THE AREA, AND POLICE CONTINUE TO SEARCH FOR CUNNINGHAM. IF YOU SEE HIM, KEEP YOUR